Spare Time

So my first week back from vacation was . . . hard. I am a person who really likes to be busy and LOVES school, so it's really weird for me not to be at school. I've been doing some domestic things like grocery shopping, doing the laundry, doing the dishes, attempting to clean the house, etc. Honestly, I think I would totally suck at being solely a stay-at-home wife. I think that even if Kirk and I were really really amazingly rich, I would still work or be heavily involved in something because I would be bored. Now this is completely different from being a stay-at home mom. That I plan on doing and I look forward to it.

Today was a really good time to reflect on kind of what I want in life. Who I am and what I like. I think that what people do in their spare time says a lot about who they are. My friend remarked earlier this evening about people who do what "they're supposed to" as far as hobbies or other interests go because society says so, and people who do things because they want to. I guess I've always felt a little pressured to have certain hobbies or skills because of Mormon society. Clearly, I need to be an expert at sewing, cooking, scrapbooking, canning, etc. etc. etc. Otherwise, I am not a true future Mormon mom and current Mormon wife.

These are the things that I like to do/don't like to do because I want to/don't want to do them, not because I compare myself to others in the Mormon community, or even outside it:

1. I like to cook. I think it's really fun to blast music and dance around the kitchen while I cook something. BUT, if it takes more than 45ish minutes to prepare, it's a huge pain. I am so grateful that Kirk has very basic tastes, so I don't have to worry about him complaining.

2. I love to read. I LOVE books written in the 1800's. Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Charles Dickens, etc. are writers that I adore.

3. I hate scrapbooking. Don't get me wrong, I love the end result. I also love buying cute stickers and accessories to put on random pages. What I HATE is organizing it. It takes me soooo long to make one page, and I'm such a perfectionist. I have decided that after I finish our wedding scrapbook, it's either a) online scrapbooking (that's fun) or b) the photo albums where you just slip the photo in.

4. Sewing. Ahh, the sewing machine . . . it kind of scares me. I want to be able to sew and create things that way, so I want to work on that skill.

5. I love playing my flute and the piano. I have made a New Year's resolution to practice 30 minutes a day of either instrument. Music has always been such a huge part of my life, and I don't want that to slip away.

6. I like crocheting. I am extremely limited in this hobby (I haven't even finished a scarf) but it's so soothing to do. I want to work on this too.

7. I love talking with my friends and family. I am probably one of the most verbal people that you will ever meet. Having a really good connection with someone and talking for a long while makes me feel really refreshed and excited about living. I love that I have a husband who I can talk to about anything!

8. I love working out. For some reason, I also love getting sweaty when I work out. To me, I guess it just means that I've worked really hard and (hopefully) burned tons and tons of calories.

9. Gardening. Hmmm . . . we'll see if I ever get into that. I have never had the opportunity to try it out, but it would be nice to grow my own food a little bit.

10. I love watching movies. Call me a couch potato, but my family watches every kind of movie available--good or bad. That's also something Kirk and I love to do together too.

So I guess I focused more on what I liked to do, but that's okay. :) Now that I'm graduated, I feel like I can actually HAVE hobbies. So nice.